6 minute read
Slam dunk
But see ‘cause, I was never born with this, So when being told that these issues may have been my fault, makes you feel less of the man I once was or never got to be.
Aucklander Milan Moala (Ngāti Māhanga Hourua, Ngāti Paoa) is a force of nature. His mother, Tara, refers to her 15-year-old as a ‘waka ama freak’, an apt description, considering she’s witnessed him dedicate hours each week to training and racing over summer. But there are more than a few strings to this teen’s bow, with intensive kapa haka practices leading up to competitions that also require his energy.
Milan (pronounced Mee-lahn) is in year 11 at Ngā Puna o Waiōrea Western Springs College, a Te Reo Māori immersion kura. He’s been doing kapa haka for the last five years, performing with his school group, Te Mura o Tāmaki, and most recent, Ngā Oho, named after Ngā Ohomairangi, a rangatira of Te Arawa, the historical iwi of the Auckland region.
Milan’s love of kapa haka has taken him and Ngā Oho to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as ASB Polyfest. The annual four-day festival celebrates dance, music, and speech-making, with thousands of high school students competing across six stages in front of crowds that can reach 80,000 attendees.
Having just knocked off its 49th anniversary, this year Polyfest hosted 239 performing groups from 69 schools around Aotearoa.
Milan and his kapa haka rōpū (troupe) performed in division two, taking out the winning spot. ‘My dream is to perform with the first division group’, he says.
FUEL AND FURY
By the time Ngā Oho is up on stage and competing, everyone involved has already put in a lot of work. Many hours of practice are needed to polish their performance, and everyone wants to be the best they can be.
Milan, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two years ago, says he has to eat a lot over the weeks of kapa haka practices, continually making sure he doesn’t go low. Tara adds, ‘If he goes low, he feels like crap and can’t perform. So he needs to make sure that he keeps it maintained. Keeping that all going.’
Milan wears both a CGM and a pump, proudly displaying them when in performance attire. But the technology that keeps him healthy doesn’t always cooperate with the furious movements of kapa haka. ‘The pump drops off a lot because it’s a lot of moving up and down with squats and stuff. A bit annoying.’
Tara suggests that kapa haka could be compared with a full-on sport such as rugby, considering it is such an energetic activity. Milan replies, ‘it’s more like dance and choir, but you’re singing the whole time.’
TAUTOKO
Milan and his mum are grateful for the awesome support they both receive from his many kaiako at kura. The intense practices leading up to the kapa haka competitions inevitably require those involved to noho. Tara explains, ‘So, for every noho, we need to have a teacher or some kind of kaiako who understands diabetes. So we give them one-on-one. They learn to check numbers, how to check the phone, how much is good, and how much is not good. We have kits of food everywhere – in kitchens of different places and offices, and even when on the water for waka ama. The coaches know if he’s not feeling good that he needs to have jelly beans or whatever in his life jacket. Often our coaches will carry muesli bars for him with them. He’s really, really supported and looked after.’
DOUBLE WHAMMY
Both Milan and his younger brother, Lagitupu, were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the same year, just a few months apart from each other. First, Milan felt a change in his body and says one day he nearly fainted. This alerted Tara’s suspicions, and she asked their family GP to test Milan’s blood sugar.
Then, three months later, Lagitupu fainted at school, and Tara was flummoxed. ‘I thought, surely not. It’s only been three months. Then Milan said, “Let’s finger-prick him,” and it came back high. He was very close to getting into a ketone state.’
While raising two children with type 1 diabetes can be a stressful occupation, Tara is thankful for the technology and the freedom and autonomy it allows. ‘Neither of the boys could be doing their kapa haka, waka ama, rugby, or sport without them. They’d just have to stay at home.’
TRANS-TASMAN TOIKUPU
Nearing the end of the interview, Milan casually slips into the kōrero that he is also a poet. And that he wrote a poem on diabetes that he took to a trans-Tasman competition last year. And that he won. This wasn’t a small competition either. He was part of a group of spoken word poets from school who call themselves Rehekōrero, which translates to the youth slang, ‘let’s gooo’ and ‘kōrero’. Milan has not only travelled to Melbourne to perform and win this competition, but has also gone on to take the stage at Laneway, Splore, Pasifika, and Matariki festivals.
The four rangatahi that make up Rehekōrero were supported by Action Education, an Auckland-based creative organisation that enables young people to express their authenticity while growing a vibrant community that supports them (actioneducation. co.nz). They offer a range of creative programmes for young people, including spoken word poetry workshops in schools.
Milan wrote his diabetes poem for an Action Education school competition, ‘WORD – The Front Line', where his group won the nationwide competition representing Ngā Puna o Waiōrea. He says he wrote it to raise awareness of people with medical conditions and the toll it can take on their mental health.
As Milan’s poetry is ‘spoken word’, it is therefore best heard rather than read to fully appreciate its power and message.
To watch Milan performing this poem, head to Rehekōrero Instagram page: bit.ly/milan-poetr.y
Watch Milan in Word – The Front Line Grand Slam 2023: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cjk2CvZr1k
Watch Rehekōrero perform their new poem about Te Tiriti o Waitangi: www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6qRSb8LIeA
KUPU | WORDS
Te reo – Māori language
Mita – pronunciation
Wiri – The wiri (quivering of the hands) is an integral part of Māori movement, seen in haka, making the movements deceptive, which is essential in the arts of combat.
Mauri – Mauri is the life spark or essence inherent in all living things that has been passed down from ancestors.
Waiata – song, usually commemorative of some important event.
Karakia – prayer, blessing.
Kaiako – teacher.
Kura – school.
Tautoko – support.
Noho – staying away from home, in accommodation.
Kapa haka – Māori performing arts.
Waka ama – outrigger canoe.
Toikupu – poetry.
Kōrero – conversation/talk.
Rehekōrero – slang for ‘let’s go’, talk.
